Not-So-Friendly Realizations
by MegSkoomaPirate
Summary: My "what if" story for the season 2 finale of The Dragon Prince. WHAT IF Rayla didn't get embarrassed when Callum woke up, but took out her overflowing emotions on him?
1. Chapter 1

_**I've recently discovered "The Dragon Prince" on Netflix and very quickly became COMPLETELY OBSESSED with it. Rayla is my precious murder baby and must be protected. Anyway! This is my WHAT IF story. WHAT IF Rayla didn't get embarrassed when Callum woke up, but took out all her pent up emotions on him? (A.k.a. what should have happened. Like… why did it not?)**_

"Oh, Callum! Please come back!" Rayla cried despairingly. "It doesn't matter what you did before! I just want you to be okay again! Callum, please! I'm sorry for what I said!"

The last two hours flashed through her mind, hours that felt like a lifetime. Standing atop the downed dragon to make a last stand against Soren and the other soldiers, Callum coming out of nowhere with a deadly serious look on his face, Claudia trying to talk him down, and then… he cast the dark magic.

It was the single most terrifying thing Rayla had ever seen. His warm green eyes turning frigid, glowing a sickly purple… then pure black. Disgust had welled in her when the green magic flowed out of his hand, followed quickly by fear. Fear of him or for him, she couldn't tell, but then he'd collapsed.

Then she knew true fear.

Getting him and Ezran back to the cave had been a walking nightmare. She was so angry and worried and horrified and a million other emotions all at once, that she berated him even as he stumbled and fell. And the worst thing? She KNEW. She knew that he would never have touched dark magic if she hadn't have been in danger. Even at his lowest point after he lost his magic, he had never even considered such a thing.

She was so ANGRY at him at first. Turned a blind eye to his suffering, but every moan of pain, every word of delirious rambling echoed in her ears and heart. When Ezran had left and Corvus followed, she moved to sit by Callum's side. She could hear his breathing getting shallower with every passing moment and she couldn't take it anymore, pulling him up into her arms and _begging _him to come back to her.

"I can't lose you like this! You mean too much to me!" Tears ran down her face, but she didn't care, too concentrated on the weak heartbeats that showed that he was still with her. "Please! Callum, I…" Rayla pulled back to cup his face in her hands.

They had been through so much together. The two weeks since they'd met seemed to rush past and yet… there were moments that just stood still in time.

Like the first time they met, she nothing but a nameless assassin and he a prince, yet the fool stopped to actually _think_ about if he liked her ears or not (he told her later that he did, causing them both to blush madly. But that was Callum. Always straight-forward.)

Or when he realized that she got sick in the boat and tried to distract her by asking questions about Xadia. The way he had smiled at her then had made her stomach lurch in a way that had nothing to do with the boat.

But it was the night that he had found out about his father that stood out the most. He had _forgiven_ her somehow, even when she didn't believe that she deserved it. He had curled into her arms and just sobbed. She held him, cried with him, and realized then that he was more than just her best friend. She would do anything she could to keep him from feeling this kind of pain again. Maybe it was ridiculous to feel this way, but it had always been so easy just to be with him.

She had meant what she said that night at the castle. If he had asked her, she would have gone with him to face all the soldiers, the king, and her own people. She would have stood beside him to confront them all, no matter the outcome. Somehow, the second they'd met, a bond was forged.

Rayla closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his, holding back her sobs. "Callum… I…"

Callum's body jerked back with a gasp, causing Rayla to jump and snap her eyes open.

"Rayla? W-what's going on?" He choked out, reaching up to grab Rayla's hands, still holding his face tightly.

"You… you stupid boy!" She cried as she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his shoulder, her body shaking with silent sobs. Callum hesitantly wrapped his arms around her in return.

It took several minutes for Rayla to calm her tears, and Callum waited for her shaking to stop before cautiously repeating his question. It was the wrong thing to ask. Rayla jumped to her feet and leaned down to get in his face.

"What's going on?!" She shouted. "What's going on?! You're an absolute idiot that's what's going on! What were you thinking?! Huh?! Why would you do that?!"

He stood up shakily, brow furrowed in confusion, and backed away slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"Dark magic, Callum!" She spat. "That's what I'm talking about! Why would you do that?! I told you to stay here! To take Ezran and Zym to Xadia, to stop the war! That's all that mattered! What were you thinking?!"

"What was I thinking?" He snapped back, angry himself now. "I was thinking that I didn't want you to get hurt! That I could help you!"

"BY USING DARK MAGIC?!"

"YES! WHAT OTHER CHOICE DID I HAVE?! I didn't have sky magic then! I didn't have anything!"

"It doesn't matter! _**I **_didn't matter! I knew what I was getting into when I went down there, I was prepared!"

"Of course you mattered! You always matter! Don't even say that!" He stomped towards her. "I understand why you don't like dark magic, I don't either, but I had no other choice! I couldn't do nothing, you would have died!" His voice trailed off. "Why are you so mad?"

"_**BECAUSE YOU ALMOST DIED, CALLUM!" **_She shouted, grabbing his scarf and pulling him to her face. With only inches between them, he watched as her eyes filled with tears again. Voice now a whisper, she continued. "You were _dying,_ Callum. You were slipping away from me and I couldn't do anything. All I could think was that I was losing the most important person in the world to me, and the last thing I said to him was how it was his own fault." She choked on a sob and looked down. "But it was mine. If I hadn't gone down there… none of this would have happened. I was so ashamed of my parents abandoning Zym's egg, I let my hurt pride dictate my actions, and you got hurt because of it."

"Hey…" His voiced softened as he lifted her chin to look her in the eye. "You did what you felt was _right_, Rayla. You always do. It's one of the things that makes you who you are." He gave a crooked smile. "And I kind of like who you are."

"And who am I?" She asked with a scoff. "I was supposed to be an assassin and I failed at that. I tried to save a dragon and I failed at that. I was supposed to be a _friend_ and I failed at that."

Callum narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "You, Rayla," He said, punctuating each word with a poke to her chest. "Are a strong, compassionate, beautiful, caring, amazing warrior elf! You didn't FAIL at being an assassin. You CHOSE to be something, to do something more! You didn't FAIL at saving that dragon. You were willing to DIE to protect it! And you most certainly didn't FAIL at being a friend! You are the best friend I've EVER had and ever WILL have! So don't ever say that about yourself again!"

Rayla blinked at him in astonishment. No one, not even Runaan, had ever said anything like that to her. She began to blush a deep scarlet, a color made all the more obvious by her pale skin tone.

"Oh!" He cried, pointing a finger at her face. "I've got to draw this one! Rayla rendered speechless, Ezran will never believe this!" With that, he walked over to his bag and started digging around for his sketchbook.

Rayla stared thoughtfully as he started sketching on a fresh page.

_**What was I going to say before he woke up? Not… not **__**that**__** surely. **_She blushed even more at the thought. _**But… maybe…**_

Rayla knew how she felt, though it seemed ridiculous. They'd only known each other for three weeks, at the very most, after all. But still… her heart beat faster when she was close to him. She had to fight a blush any time he smiled at her. When he had spent all those hours with Claudia, she'd been ready to hit something, anything, until she wasn't angry anymore. Rayla knew, more than anything, that she loved Callum.

The only issue was… did he love her in return?

_**Definitely not. **_She thought sadly, an image of Callum acting like a love-struck pup following Claudia around. _**I'm an elf, an assassin sent to kill his brother. I'm short, scrawny, always nagging him, sarcastic… He'd never feel the same.**_

**Are you sure about that? **A small voice whispered from the back of her mind.

_**And crazy as well, I suppose. Of course he wouldn't. **_She retorted sarcastically.

**Really? Because he seems to think better about you then you do yourself.**

_**That's because he's nice!**_

**He looks at you enough to be able to draw you perfectly without needing to actually see you.**

_**He's… he's a good artist and he has to look at me all the time. **_Rayla thought weakly.

**He used dark magic to save you. **The voice continued quietly. **You heard him talk about how he feels about it. He told you that Claudia wanted to teach him, but he refused her, HER, because it went against everything he believed in. But he did it for you, only for you.**

_**I… He… **_Rayla fell silent.

**Only one way to see, Rayla. Prove him right about all the good things he said about you. Be strong. Be the amazing, BEAUTIFUL, warrior elf.**

"Where is Ez, by the way, Rayla?" After a moment of silence, he looked up to find Rayla frozen in place, a blank look on her face. "Rayla?" He asked, concerned now. He stood to walk over to her and suddenly her eyes snapped to his face, a wild look in them. "Rayla?"

"Callum." She took a deep breath, drew herself up proudly, and marched over to him, causing him to cower slightly. "I'm sorry if this ruins things." She grabbed his face and stared into his eyes. "I almost said this while you were unconscious, but I didn't. I'm going to say it now."

"Rayla, what are y-"

"I love you." She said bluntly, before her nerves stopped her. "I love you, and I know you don't feel the same and that's okay. I just had to say it because I almost lost you and I just wanted you to know, but now it's just a big mistake because you're looking at me with that dumb expression on your dumb face and I just- UGH!" And with that she closed her eyes, grabbed his scarf, and pulled his lips to hers. If it was a bit rough and painful, if it was wet because she had started crying again, if it was simply a clumsy press of the lips, she could be excused. It was her first kiss after all.

After a few seconds she released him and stepped back, eyes still closed, hands tightened in fists at her side, face crumpled and tearstained, and almost curling into herself, as if she expected him to start yelling at her.

Callum stared, dumbstruck, as he touched his still tingling lips with his fingers. A blush bloomed on his cheeks. "Did… did you just kiss me?" When Rayla winced and stepped back once more, he stared at her in astonishment.

In truth, he'd been having dreams of her for the past week. Sometimes they'd be walking hand-in-hand in a forest, other times they'd be laughing by a fire with her curled up by his side, or she'd be sitting with Ez and Zym by a river and she looked so beautiful that he knew he had to draw her, and then sometimes… sometimes she'd kiss him. He'd always thought that he was in love with Claudia, but somehow… somehow being with Rayla felt REAL, even in his dreams. But he was scared. He didn't want to ruin their friendship if she just saw him as a friend. But she had given him a chance, so he was not going to let this go. No, he would pull a page from Rayla's book.

Easing up slowly in front of her, he leaned forward quickly and placed his lips on hers again. It was nothing, just a quick peck, but he still pulled back with a brilliant blush, one that only got worse when her eyes snapped open in surprise. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while."

"You… you have?"

"…Maybe?" He mumbled, a fresh blush on his face. He was a little surprised that his face hadn't just caught on fire at this point. He stopped suddenly, all color draining from his face.

"Callum? Are you okay?!" Rayla asked frantically, slightly panicked that he might be getting sick again. She was surprised when he grabbed her arms and pulled her closer, staring seriously into her eyes.

"I'm not dreaming again, am I?! This isn't a dream, right?!"

"No!" She exclaimed. "Should it be?!"

"No! That would be bad!" He shook her slightly. "Prove it! Prove I'm not gonna wake up again! I don't want to wake up again!"

Concerned and exasperated, Rayla pulled him roughly to her and kissed him again. She lingered for a few seconds, just long enough for him to close his eyes and press back, before violently pinching his arm. Callum stepped away with a yelp, rubbing his abused arm.

"Satisfied?"

He looked at her with wide eyes, a grin growing on his face. "Yes. I'm awake and this is real and you definitely kissed me and I love you and you love me and I AM AWAKE!"

She cried out in surprise when he picked her up and swung her around happily.

"Soooo…" She asked when he finally put her down "Dreams, huh? You often dream about me?"

"Of course I do." He said, red-faced but staring her directly in the eye. "I love you."

She had no reply for that but to kiss him again. When they finally pulled away to breathe, she leaned her head against his. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"You didn't though."

"No, I didn't." She grinned. "Look! You're awake now!" She continued mischievously. "You're even looking cheery! And is that a twinkle in your eye?" She looked closer. Oh, there was something there. "Oh, no, that's not a twinkle. It's one of those sleep crusties." She licked her finger and pulled his face closer. "Here, let me."


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: One of you lovely readers actually pointed out something that I had set up for myself, then forgot about cause I'm a dumdum! So, thank you, reader Femikol, for pointing out that I had set up for the scene to continue with Callum finding his magic again. Here's a surprise! Have an unplanned second chapter! We kind of addressed some of Rayla's insecurities in the last chapter, so it's Callum's turn! Honestly, I think I'll be haunted by his creepy/weird dream for the rest of my life, so I can only assume that it would be the same for him. (It doesn't help that I recently played Shadow of the Tomb Raider's "Nightmare" tomb. Gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life from that one.) Hope you guys enjoy!**_

"That sickness really did a number on you, Callum." Rayla said as she wiped the crust from his eyes. She hesitantly brushed his sweat-soaked hair back from his face, then ran her thumb across the still-clammy cheek. "What happened to you?"

Callum leaned his face into her hand. He could get used to having her touch. "I don't really know, Rayla. I think… I think it was partially the trauma of actually using dark magic, and the rest was just… the guilt of using it." He pulled her hand from his face and laced his fingers through hers. "I remember facing someone who looked like me, talked like me, WAS me, but he was colder and more cruel than I thought I could ever be. But he was me." He turned haunted eyes to hers. "He wanted me to do dark magic, Rayla. He was almost desperate for it! Said that it was my destiny and that I needed to accept it. But I told him no, Rayla, I swear I did!"

Rayla cut off his near-panicked ramblings by putting her hand over his mouth. She leaned her forehead against his and made sure that he was looking her in the eye. "Hush! It's okay, I know you did! I know you, and whatever that was, it was not you!"

"But what if it was, Rayla?! What if that's somewhere inside me just waiting to come out?!"

"It's not! It's not you, nor will it ever be! And if it ever is, you'll turn away from it just like you did in your dream! And I'll be standing right here beside you when you do. We'll fight it together. Always, okay?"

"Okay." He said weakly. "Okay. I can do that. _We _can do that." He gave her a weary smile and leaned forward to kiss her. She kissed him back softly, wishing she could wipe the memories away. He looked calmer when he pulled away, then he flashed her a rather smug grin. "I could get used to that." When she answered with a blushing scoff and half-hearted punch in the arm, he took a deep breath and continued his story.

"My dad was there, chained to his throne. While the other me was telling me to 'accept my destiny', dad kept saying that I was _free. _Free to do what I want, to be who I want to be. When I looked back, the other me was _warped, wrong. _He looked like a walking corpse! And then," He shuddered, gripping her hand tighter. "He just kind of… fell to pieces. Turned to ash and was blown away the next second."

"Oh, Callum…"

He chuckled a bit, surprising her. "When I turned to dad and said something about how scary it was, he said 'It's your dream, kid.' I can't remember much after that except being on a boat in a storm, and then I was… a sail?" He shook his head. "That part was really weird, but then… the boat sank and I couldn't breathe. I just kept sinking down and down and I couldn't _**breathe**_!"

Tears welled in Rayla's eyes as the memory of his short, choked breaths echoed in her head. Shaking, she pulled him down so they were both on their knees and bent down slightly to lay her ear on his chest, right over his heart. The sound of his heartbeat was comforting, and she smiled a bit as it jumped when she squeezed his hand. Callum used his free hand to run his fingers through her hair, marveling at how soft it was, and then ran a thumb down one of her horns curiously, causing her to stiffen slightly and blush. Realizing that the position they were in was uncomfortable, he cautiously leaned backwards and drew her with him to lay on the floor of the cave. She gave no resistance as she made herself comfortable beside him, head still resting on his chest.

"I think." He paused, tracing her horn again. "I think I heard you call for me."

She looked up in surprise, propping her chin on his chest.

"I remember feeling safe and warm. I think that's what brought my mom to me. She helped me to breathe, helped me find my way back. Told me she loved me." He sniffed, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I got to hug my mom again!"

Rayla scooted up so she could wrap her arms around his neck and turn them so he could rest on her chest as he sobbed. Shushing him gently, she ran her fingers through his hair and rubbed his back in soothing circles. Eventually, his tears dried and he just lay there, almost half-asleep.

"Wait!" He gasped suddenly, sitting up and hovering over her with arms braced on either side of her head. "I remember now!" He pointed an accusing finger at her. "You made me forget by yelling at me and then kissing me!"

"I didn't hear you complaining." She remarked wryly.

"Of course you didn't." He stood and pulled her to her feet. "You never will. But this is important! I have it, Rayla! I understand the sky Arcanum!"

"You do?!"

"Yes! It's not one simple thing. It's all the things!"

"All the… things?" Rayla asked with a fond smile, crossing her arms and watching as he began to gesture wildly with each new thought.

"Yes!" He was on a roll now. "They just had to come together, you know? It's like, I used to hold the power of the sky in my hand, right? But now that's gone, poof!"

"Poof?"

"Yes, poof! But, Rayla," He grabbed her by her arms and shook her to emphasize. "The whole world is like one giant primal stone, and we're inside of it! I'm inside sky magic! But it's also in me, with every breath I take." He took several exaggerated breaths, causing her to laugh a bit.

"That kind of makes sense, actually." Rayla said thoughtfully.

"Yes!" He paced away to the front of the cave, waving his arms about wildly. "And I kept thinking about birds, and sails, and how they connect to the wind! And I thought that I had to find my wings…" He faced her and threw out his arms. "But that's just it! _I am the wing!_"

"That makes less sense, but okay!"

Callum took a deep breath and faced the forest outside. "Moment of truth. Let's see if I can really do this."

Rayla watched over his shoulder as he closed his eyes and took several measured breaths. Slowly he reached his hand out in front of him and, with one more breath, his index finger began glowing blue. She gasped as he drew a familiar rune in the air. A strong breeze kicked up, blowing his hair around.

"_**ASPIRO." **_He blew out a soft breath, which grew and became a blistering gale.

The spell was interrupted when Rayla crashed into him, nearly crushing him in her excitement.

"Callum! You did it! You really did it!" She turned him around quickly and pulled him into a deep, enthusiastic kiss.

He stood stunned for a moment, but quickly melted into it. When they finally pulled away, they were both breathless and red-faced.

"Wow…"

"Yeah, wow." She replied unsteadily. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not." He said quickly, albeit shakily. He started to pull her back in when a small voice called out.

"Am I… interrupting something?"

They both turned quickly, blushing to the roots of their hair. Rayla got over her embarrassment quickly.

"Ezran! You're back!" She cried out, rushing to him to pull him into a hug.

"Wait. He was gone?" Callum asked confusedly.

Rayla rolled her eyes, still holding Ezran tightly. "I'm glad you're back, Ez."

"Are you though?" He asked mischievously, causing her to pull back in surprise and blush. "About time, I'd say. I'm sorry for interrupting. Bait and Zym said that you guys needed privacy, but I didn't listen to them."

"What do you mean 'about time'?!"

"I meant exactly what I said, Rayla. Bait and I have a running bet about who would kiss who first." He looked worried for a moment and grabbed her shoulders desperately. "Please tell me it was you, Rayla! If it was Callum, I have to give Bait all my jelly tarts for a month!"

Rayla groaned and threw her hands up to cover her blushing face.

At least they had his approval.


End file.
